Process and apparatus for removing coke from stills



Feb. 9, 1943. p w PEARSON 2,310,748

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING C OKE FROM s'r ILLs Filed April 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l J 5 k I Q U Q U) Q \J 3 In z/en 07. PauZ' WPeanson,

' @OAAA insv Feb. 9, 19143. w PEARSON 2,310,748

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING COKE FROM STILLS Filed April 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 xxxmm .PauZ Wfearflafz.

' vide a new and improved process and STATES PATENT OFFICE sciatic rnocess AND srrsaa'rus non nsuovmo cons mom STILLS Paul W. Pearson, Chicago, Ill. I Application April 1, rate, 8e 1 No. 327,18t c (Jlalms. (ca res-st) This invention relates to a process and apparatus for continuously removing coke or carbonaceous products from the stills used for recrude oil, and has for its object to proapparatus of this description.

heretofore in these stills the coke settles to the bottom and fills up the still and becomes a hardened mass therein. When the still gets substantially full, it is closed down and a hole is drilled through the center of the solid coke which fills the still and then a cutting device which folds up is inserted through this hole and pushed through the bottom'of this hole. In the meantime the bottom of the still has been removed and this cutting device when it passes out of'the end of the solid coke mass, expand and is then actuated to gradually cut the coke from the bottom, the chunks of this coke falling out into a railroad car. The present invention has for its object to provide a process and apparatus for removing this coke as it is formed, so that the still can be continuously used and is not required to be shut down.

By means of my invention, one still can do the work of several stills with the heretofore means of removing the coke, The invention has as a further object to provide means for continuously removing the coke from the still and as it is removed, forming it into briquettes.

The invention has further objects which are more particularly pointed out in the accompanying description.

Referring now to the drawings,

Fig.4 is a view in part section, showing one form of my invention; and Y Fig. 2 is a-view'showing a modified construction.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

Referring now to the drawings, I have shown a still i having a coke chamber 2. This still may be of any of the usual forms. Connected with the bottom of the still at the bottom of the coke chamber is a receiving compartment 3 into which the coke as it is formed, settles. This receiving compartment is suitably attached to the bottom of the coke chamber 2 and is larger at the bottom than at the top to facilitate the passing of the coke therethrough and to prevent the adhesion of the coke to its walls from stopping its descent. The receptacle 3 has a liquid level controller. This receptacle 3 is provided with hot vapor inlets 4 and 5 through whichhot vapors are forced into the compartment and the heavy residuum therein becomes coke.

At the bottom of the receptacle 3 is provided an elongated hollow ejecting member s which may be cylindrical or any other desired shape, with an opening 7 therein, by means of which it communicates with the interior of the receptacle. Located within the ejecting member 6 is a plunger or piston 8, preferably hollow, although it may be solid. This piston is reciprocated by a piston rod 8 connected to any source of power desired. Connected with the ejecting member 6 is a compressing chamber It into which the coke is forced by the piston a and which as shown consists of a tapered section attached to the ejecting member t.

The piston t is drawn back-to its full extent from under the receptacle 8 and left in this posi-- tion until the commencement of operations is desired. At the commencement of operation of the device, the entire plant or unit is filled with crude oil and the space in front of the piston in the ejecting member t and the compressing chamber it is filled with oil so as to force out all air. When the coke formation reaches the liquid level controller the piston or plunger 8 is tor to eject or discharge the coke into the compression chamber it and to compress it in this chamber so that it acts as a stop to prevent the escape of oil. i

In the beginning of the process, the compressing chamber it is filled with coke or any other desired material to prevent the oil from running out until such time as the ejector is put into operation.

Any suitable mean for moving the piston 3 may be used. As herein shown Ihave illustrated one mechanism for this purpose. In this construction there is an oil pipe H which connects with a suitable source of oil supply, this pipe being connected with the receptaclet at the height it is desired to have this receptacle filled with coke. This oil pipe injects the oil into a casing i2 of an electric switch, the casing i2 being connected by a pipe i3 with the receptacle 3. This casing is provided with a diaphragm It which is pressed downwardly by a spring i5. Connected it closes of! the flow of oil from the pipe ii into the receptacle 3 and this raises the pressure in the casing i 2 and lifts the diaphragm I4 so as to bring contacts I6 and I8 together. This completes an electric circuit through an electromagnetic device, such as a solenoid 20, which is connected by a conductor 2i with a source of electric supply. The plunger 22 of this solenoid is provided with a spring 22a. which engages a stop 22b on the plunger and which normally forces the plunger outwardly. The plunger 22 is connected with a valve 23 in the steam pipe 24 leading from the boiler to the engine 25. When the solenoid 20 is energized, it moves the plunger inwardly, compressing the spring 22a and opening the valve 23 to admit steam to the engine 25. The piston rod 26 of the engine is connected to the piston B so that when the valve 23 is opened, the piston of the engine is moved and this moves the piston 8 so as to force coke out of the ejecting member 6 into the compressing chamber Ill.

The compressing chamber has a discharge end 21 through which the coke is discharged into the recesses 28 in the co-operating forming devices or cylinders 29 and 33. These recesses may be of any desired shape, such, for example, as-halfpillow shape, each forming device having the half-pillow shaped recesses, so that when the two come together, they form a pillow-shaped briquette. It is of course evident that any other desired shape may be used. A water inlet 3| is provided by means of which water is applied to the forming devices so as to cool them and so as to prevent the coke briquettes from adhering to them, so that when the briquettes reach the proper position as the forming devices are rotated, they fall into any receiving device. As herein shown, they fall into a tank 32 having water in it, and are then carried by a conveyor 33 to any desired point.

When the coke in the receptacle 3 is lowered a sufficient amount to open the pipes Ii and i 3 so that oil may again enter the receptacle 3, the pressure of the oil in the casing i2 is reduced and the spring i moves the diaphragm i4 so as to disconnect the contacts i6 and i8 and break the electric circuit through the solenoid 20. The spring 22a then retracts the plunger 22 and closes the valve 23 shutting off the operation of the engine until the coke in the receptacle 3 rises a sufilcient height to again cut off the entrance of the oil into said receptacle.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a modified construction. In this construction the coke as it drops down into the receiving compartment 3 passes into a directing device 34 which directs it in between forming devices, where it is formed into briquettes which are dropped into the tank 35 which contains water. These briquettes are then removed from the tank in any desired manner. In thisparticular construction the forming devices consist of wheels 33 and 31. A belt 23 passes over the wheel 18 and over a smaller wheel 39. There is a similar belt 40 which passes over the wheel 31 and a smaller wheel ll. These belts have recesses 42 therein into which the coke is received and formed into briquettes.

When the piston 8 is pushed forward to force the coke into the compression chamber II, the coke may have a tendency to stick to the end of the piston so that some of it will be drawn back when the piston is retracted. To prevent this, I connect to the end of the piston a flap In which is pivoted at its upper edge to the piston so that as the piston is retracted, if the coke adheres to it, the flap will move out away from the piston, as shown in dotted lines in Fig, 1, so as to prevent any of the coke from being drawn back. This fiap may be made of any suitable material and preferably of material to which the coke does not stick.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for removing coke from a still for refining oil comprising a confining device into which the coke is discharged from the still as it is being formed, an ejecting device at the bottom of said confining device for ejecting the coke as it is formed and deposited in the confining device while in a heated soft condition, and means for utilizing the height of the coke in the confining device to control the operation of the ejecting device and means for excluding air from the confining device while the coke is being removed, whereby the coke may be continuously removed and the still continuously operated.

2. A process of removing coke from a still in which 011 is coked, comprising injecting oil into said still above the coke being formed, forcibly ejecting said coke upon the rise in level of the coke in the still, said rise in level being utilized to increase the pressure of injected 011, said increase in pressure being utilized to bring the ejection of coke into operation.

3. An apparatus for coking oil comprising a vertical retort, into the bottom of which the coke is deposited while in a soft heated condition, a coke compression device for causing the coke to be extruded, a control means in an oil feed line to the retort, said feed line entering the retort at a level up to which coke may be deposited, the coke while at said level serving to increase the oil pressure on said control means, thereby bringing said compression device into operation.

PAUL W. PEARSON. 

